The review of “Murder Mystery 2”, a comedy that unfortunately didn’t entertain me as much as I hoped

Adam Sandler And Jennifer Aniston they return in a sequel to their 2019 hit comedy but sadly fail to recapture the magic that made the first film a hit. Murder Mystery 2 is less mysterious than its predecessor and, to say the least, less fun.

The first film was an enjoyable adventure centered around a married couple – he a New York cop, she a hairdresser – who find themselves in the middle of a homicide investigation while celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary overseas.

The cast was star-studded, the locations glamorous, the laughter frequent and the mystery at the heart of the film kept the audience in suspense.

And loyal Netflix subscribers certainly didn’t let it slip away. Murder Mystery was quite a phenomenon at launch, shattering viewership records in its opening weekend, so it’s no surprise that Netflix was quick to greenlight a sequel. Too bad it doesn’t live up to the original. But that’s a problem with many sequels sadly.

Murder Mystery 2 begins with a summary of the events of the first film, as well as showing some details about what has happened since then. It seems that Nick and Audrey Spritz have given up their day jobs to become full-time private detectives.

The problem is that the business in which they have invested all their savings is in trouble. Mainly because they are not very good at detective work. Through voiceover we’re told, “Nick and Audrey could only pray for a miracle… that someone close to them would be killed.”

So here’s a call from the Maharajah – their friend from the first film – with an invitation to his lavish wedding on a private island with all expenses paid. Spritz spouses weigh the pros and cons.

Pros: need a break; Cons: The last time they went on vacation, a lot of people died and they decide it’s worth it, so they start packing.

The film gets off to a brisk and brisk pace as within minutes the couple arrive on the island and are greeted by the hilarious Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar) and his bride-to-be Claudette (Melanie Laurent).

They meet the guests/future suspects, explore their lavish abode, and head to the rehearsal dinner. Trouble is, in the space of about 10 minutes, virtually every joke fails, with gags about Billie Eilish, the word ‘Spritz’, and diaper-clad flamingos struggling to crack a smile, let alone a laugh.

The dinner then turns out to be a disaster, partly because Nick and Audrey struggle to fit in, but mostly because of the murder of the Maharajah’s new bodyguard and the kidnapping of the Maharajah himself, who is then held for ransom.

Despite being under the tropical sun, fate once again strikes the Spitz spouses, who find themselves once again at the center of a mystery. And once again, the dynamic couple tries to solve the case.

In an amusing slapstick sequence, each guest visits the Spitz’s room, lets off steam, and then hides when another suspect arrives to do the same. As a result, it is filled with suspects worth investigating.

Among them we find his girlfriend Claudette, who has signed a huge prenuptial agreement; ex-girlfriend Countess Sakou (Jodie Turner-Smith), who is also Claudette’s best friend; sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), who lives in her brother’s shadow; his friend Francisco (Enrique Arce), who owes enormous sums to the mothers of his numerous children; and Colonel Ulenga (John Kani), the former bodyguard who was promptly fired after saving the Maharajah’s life.

But before Nick and Audrey can properly interrogate the aforementioned suspects to make their arguments count, former MI6 hostage negotiator Miller (Mark Strong) arrives to show them how it’s done.

It’s fun to see Sandler and Strong compete with each other. The latter clearly enjoys making fun of his tough guy character, while the former shows off his usual sarcasm.

The action then moves to France, where the film drags on for the rest of its run. Mainly because the kidnapping plot at the heart of the film isn’t all that interesting. Even the action scenes are far from exciting, especially when using a poor quality green screen.

Murder Mystery 2 has a few twists along the way, both of which are to be expected. The climax at the Eiffel Tower is entirely subdued, although it does include the film’s best line, thanks to a fine appearance by Jillian Bell.

Murder Mystery 2 fails in pretty much every way that the first Murder Mystery succeeded. Most of the jokes don’t work, and the ones about a perverted detective and a suicide vest are ill-timed.

The cast also doesn’t contribute much to the story, aside from the best Mark Strong and Adeel Akhtar, who manage to get a few laughs. While Sandler and Aniston appear to be almost asleep throughout the sequel.

But worst of all, the case at the heart of the film is extremely boring, making Murder Mystery 2 seem like a really heavy film to watch.

Sadly, the second Murder Mystery film is an inferior sequel to its predecessor in every shape and form.

And have you seen this sequel? Did you like it? Have your say in the comments. I leave you with the final comment of this review.